Sambhav-2025

Approach

• Introduction: Define AMR and explain how overuse and misuse of antibiotics accelerate resistance, posing a major public health threat.
• Body:
  • How Overuse and Misuse Contribute to AMR – Discuss excessive use in healthcare, agriculture, environmental contamination, and lack of awareness with examples.
  • Policy Measures to Address AMR – Suggest stricter regulations, public awareness, hospital infection control, surveillance, and research investments.
• Conclusion: Summarize AMR’s dangers and emphasize the need for a multi-sectoral "One Health" approach to curb its spread.

Introduction

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi) evolve to withstand antimicrobial drugs, making infections harder to treat. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in healthcare, agriculture, and animal husbandry accelerate the spread of resistant bacteria. AMR poses a serious threat to public health, food security, and economic stability in India.

Body

How Overuse and Misuse of Antibiotics Contribute to AMR

• Excessive Use in Human Healthcare – Unregulated prescription and self-medication promote resistance; e.g., overuse of Azithromycin during COVID-19 led to reduced drug effectiveness.
• Non-completion of Antibiotic Courses – Patients stopping medication early allow partially resistant bacteria to survive and multiply, worsening resistance.
• Unregulated Sale of Antibiotics – Over-the-counter availability leads to indiscriminate use, as seen in widespread, unsupervised use of fluoroquinolones.
• Overuse in Animal Farming – Antibiotics in poultry and dairy farming promote resistant strains like Colistin-resistant bacteria found in Indian livestock.
• Use in Agriculture and Aquaculture – Antibiotics in crop cultivation and fish farming contaminate soil and water, spreading resistance genes to humans.
• Hospital and Community Transmission – Poor infection control and hygiene in hospitals enable the spread of resistant pathogens like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
• Environmental Contamination – Pharmaceutical waste and sewage disposal introduce antibiotic residues into water bodies, increasing resistance risks.
• Lack of Awareness and Monitoring – Inadequate knowledge among healthcare providers and the public leads to irrational antibiotic use and poor regulatory compliance.

Policy Measures to Address AMR in India

• Strengthening Antibiotic Regulations – Strict implementation of Schedule H1 rules to prevent over-the-counter sales of antibiotics.
• Public Awareness Campaigns – Initiatives like "MedSafe" and "AMR Awareness Week" to educate people on responsible antibiotic use.
  • Use online platforms like youtube. E.g., RBI has collaborated with TVF’s Panchayat web series to spread awareness against cyber frauds.
• Infection Control in Hospitals – Enforcing hygiene protocols, antibiotic stewardship programs, and rapid diagnostic testing to prevent hospital-acquired resistance.
• Reducing Agricultural Antibiotic Use – Phasing out non-therapeutic antibiotic use in livestock and promoting alternatives like probiotics.
• Improved Surveillance Systems – Expanding the National AMR Surveillance Network (NARS-Net) to track resistance patterns across regions.
• Research and Development of New Antibiotics – Encouraging public-private partnerships and indigenous R&D to develop novel antimicrobial therapies.
• Wastewater and Pharmaceutical Regulation – Implementing strict effluent treatment guidelines for pharmaceutical industries to prevent environmental contamination.
• Global and Regional Collaboration – Strengthening partnerships under WHO’s Global Action Plan on AMR and South Asian initiatives for coordinated action.

Conclusion

Unchecked antibiotic overuse and misuse are key drivers of AMR, making infections harder to treat and increasing healthcare costs. Regulatory reforms, public awareness, better infection control, and sustainable agricultural practices are essential to tackling AMR in India. A multi-sectoral approach under "One Health" is crucial to mitigating this growing public health crisis.